Search Results for: dressing

Grilled Romaine Salad with Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp

I like to think I have an adventuresome palate. Not that you’ll find me eating deep-fried crickets anytime soon—or should I say again—like that time I did in Thailand. But that is another story for another day.

Boring salads are my nemesis. I’m more into loading it on with a fresh and vibrant variety of flavors when it comes to dressing up the greens. Just one reason why I’m happy to share this salad recipe as part of my partnership with DeLallo Foods and their new line of SaladSavors®.

I’ve been on a grilling charge this month and could see no reason to stop at lettuce. Crunchy romaine hearts are sturdy enough to embrace a charcoal sear so that’s whey they were my top choice as the base of this hearty salad.

Next up, protein. If I’m making a salad for a main meal I need to add a dose of protein to get me through to my next mealtime. Shrimp is one of my favorite salad pairings, and since I was already heating up the grill, a wrap of salty proscuitto around my soon to be crusty crustaceans thanks to the char of the embers was exactly what was in order.

Then it was time for my favorite part, the colorful accoutrements. That’s fancy speak for tasty toppings.

continue to the recipe… about Grilled Romaine Salad with Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp

Kale and Cabbage Coleslaw with Marcona Almonds

I’m into layering. Not just in my clothing options—yes, I’m a big fan of piling on the tank, then the shirt, then the sweater, jacket or blazer—but also when it comes to cooking.

Layering flavors and textures in a dish—and even an entire menu—is the sign of an adventurous and accomplished home cook. The cook that takes the uneven path and changes our anticipated cravings with a little extra crunch or flavorful zing is the cook that delivers memorable meals. And by memorable I do not mean complicated or over worked. Just. Good. Food.

I’ve been partial to this mindset ever since I can remember when my favorite after-school snack was crunchy Triscuits topped with creamy liverwurst—hey, I’m German, what can I say? A tuna fish sandwich wasn’t complete without a layer of crunchy potato chips and puckerey kosher pickles. It was all about the texture combos for me, and it still is.

Cabbage is the perfect example of an ingredient that can use an extra oomph, a little push to the flavorful side.

continue to the recipe… about Kale and Cabbage Coleslaw with Marcona Almonds

Crab and Shrimp Seafood Cobb Salad

Fresh snow crab and sweet bay shrimp sub in for the traditional chicken in this light but filling Cobb salad tossed with a tangy red wine vinaigrette.

The old saying may go, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” but the literal translation is: “The toppings are what make a good salad GREAT.”

You get me? Let’s break it down.

Any great Cobb salad’s list of ingredients could certainly stand on their own any day of the week. I mean, who hasn’t sprinkled salt and pepper on a freshly-cut summer tomato and deemed it the best thing they ever ate? Or scooped avocado straight from it’s shell and slipped it down the old pie hole in one creamy bite? And don’t get me started on how salty, crispy bacon bits magically disappear thanks to those nibbling elves before reaching their plated destination.

But together, those bites of tomato, avocado and bacon alongside bits of spunky cheese, crunchy romaine, and the sweet bites of snow crab and tender bay shrimp, is when this salad becomes the whole Cobb and nothing but the Cobb. Even though I forgot to show the hard boiled egg in the photos. Grrr. Next time!

If you’re at all familiar with Market Street Grill in Utah, then you’ve likely seen this seafood Cobb salad. It’s been on the menu since 1980, and while it’s had a maybe one or two tweaks through the years, it’s essence has always remained the same.

When I was a server at Market Street Grill, this was always a #1 summer seller. And still today, when my dad orders his usual Grilled Crab and Avocado Sandwich, it’s ~~very likely~~ guaranteed that this salad is what both my mom and I will order every.single.time. Creatures of habit or creatures of really good food? Perhaps a bit of both. And I’m totally okay with that.

About the Recipe

The twist to this Cobb salad is the replacement of chicken with sweet and tender snow crab and bay shrimp. I prefer a larger bay shrimp and look for the biggest I can find, and as always, frozen shrimp thaws just right so frozen in the bag is an easy way to go. You’ll likely need just one 5-legged section of snow crab legs, and because they’re previously cooked, simply thaw or rinse the crab in cold water and then remove the meat from the shell. Or do like I did and buy the crab meat already shelled. You’ll pay more this way, but you only need 1/4 pound of crab (and also of shrimp) to make 2 servings as a main course salad.

In the recipe photos I’m sharing today I totally spaced adding a hard boiled egg. If you’re like me and sad that I didn’t include, add 1 or 2 hard boiled eggs roughly chopped as a layer to the salad. That should certainly do the job.

For years I’ve searched the internet for the recipe to Market Street’s vinaigrette dressing and finally, after a deep dive into Google, I found a version of the recipe on this recipe board. It’s not 100% the same to my buds of taste, but it is certainly delicious at the 99% mark. When making the dressing, be sure to use very lightly cracked black peppercorns rather than fine ground pepper. That in itself is a game changer.

And one more tip: If you’re like me and don’t love the lingering smell of a bacon-saturated home, try cooking your bacon in a cast iron skillet on the grill. It’s a super easy baconless-smelling-home solution.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

4.84 from 12 votes

Crab and Shrimp Seafood Cobb Salad

The vinaigrette salad dressing yields one cup, more than you'll need for these salads. Reserve the rest of the dressing for other uses like pasta salad, as a marinade for chicken, and of course, for future salads.

Ingredients

4 slices thick cut bacon diced
6 cups sliced romaine lettuce
1/4 pound bay shrimp
1/4 pound snow crab meat
3-4 cocktail tomatoes diced
2 hard boiled eggs diced (not pictured but essential!)
2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
1 avocado sliced
For the Market Street Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

Instructions

In a large sauté pan or skillet, cook the diced bacon until cooked through, drain on a paper towel and cool.
Layer the romaine lettuce in the bottom of a large bowl. Place the salad toppings in rows on top of the lettuce. Serve with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the red wine vinaigrette dressing and refrigerate the rest for later salad making.
For the Market Street Red Wine Vinaigrette
Place the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together, or place in a jar with a fitted lid and shake until combined. makes 1 cup

Bobbing for More Cobbs

If you like a salad that’s more of a main than a side, consider trying one of these Cobb variations to fill your week with:

Autumn Cobb Salad

Taco Cobb Salad

Salmon Cobb Salad with Feta and Spinach

Southern Cobb Salad with Sweet Onion Dressing

Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad

As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.

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Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing and Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Adults love it, kids loathe it. For better or for worse, spinach is a mainstay super food that just cannot be ignored in today’s diet and my Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing and Spicy Roasted Chickpeas is yet another reason to add it to your lunch or dinner menu plans.

This post is sponsored by Tabasco as part of its 10-Ingredient Challenge. Thanks for supporting companies I believe in, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you.

This recipe combo is the final installment of my Tabasco 10-Ingredient Challenge, following up my Tabasco Brined Spicy Drumsticks, Tabasco Chicken Meatballs in a Spicy Tomato and Apricot Sauce and Tabasco Braised Chicken with Chickpeas and Kale.

Spicy and we love it.

continue to the recipe… about Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing and Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Summer Berry Spinach Salad

Lunchtime is when I pull away from the computer, and blast some music while I fix a simple—and most days healthy—bite like this Summer Berry Spinach Salad before solving the world’s problems.

Like this problem that’s been bugging me for the past month.

What happened to this year’s song of summer, it’s anthem, the essential addition to the road trip music playlist? Where is 2013’s Carly Rae Jepson and it’s 20 million parodies on YouTube?

Back in the day we had no YouTube, no Pandora, no immediate downloads. We had the radio and it played incessantly, creating an essential mix tape of summer memories that immediately flood the brain once you hear the opening tracks no matter what time of year or where you are in time or location.

There was always a standout song that heralded my days of lifeguarding at the country club—skimming the pool at sunset to REM’s Document—or driving down PCH searching for the stars homes along the shores of Malibu while singing along to Coldplay’s Viva la Vida and looking for any of the cast members of Friends to emerge from Courtney Cox’s house. And who DOESN’T think of Summer Lovin’ Oh now this is fortuitous and takes me back to summers of the late 90’s.

continue to the recipe… about Summer Berry Spinach Salad

Roasted Artichokes with Chorizo Dressing and an Artichoke Recipe Round-Up

I look forward to this time of year, all year long. That may not make sense when you read it but try saying it out loud. Loud and proud. There you go. See, it works.

With the neighbors firing up their lawn mowers for the first spring shave (as we currently sit in the midst of a snow storm) and the grasses green and the trees bloom (where’s my hay fever meds?) I find myself craving the same foods I do every spring: Fresh, clean and flavorful. Gotcha! You thought I was going to say chocolate and cheese. No, that’s every day, not just a particular season.

Flavor. That’s what makes these roasted Artichokes with Chorizo Dressing leap straight to the top of the want list.

I have a lot of artichoke recipes in my go-to recipe drawer, er, filed in my head: pasta, pizzas, with eggs and chicken. So far only Chicken Tzatziki Pizza with Artichokes, Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese (come back tomorrow for another grilled cheese recipe to celebrate Grilled Cheese Month) and my second post ever, Spring Artichokes have made it to the blog.

Which leaves plenty of room to develop and share a lot more with you lucky devils.

Some of my favorite recipes are from canned artichokes—my faves are from Trader Joe’s—packed in water. Which is awesome because then I can cure the crave any time of year. But when fresh artichokes are in season? Forget about it. I’m going fresh.

While I usually hold out for the Ocean Mist brand at Costco because they are big, have tightly bunched leaves and I’ve found have the most meat on the leaf, my local store isn’t carrying them yet. So I went mini. I found these baby artichokes at Whole Foods, and bingo, they’re from Ocean Mist, so the first time I bought them I knew they’d be good. I was right.

This recipe is one I’ve kept in my piles, and I mean piles (just ask my husband who I believe is currently devising a strategic plan to rid the house of all “reference material”) of recipes pulled from magazines over the past 10 years. And even more when it comes to Thanksgiving, but that’s another season entirely so it’ll have to wait.

continue to the recipe… about Roasted Artichokes with Chorizo Dressing and an Artichoke Recipe Round-Up

Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons

This Caesar salad recipe with homemade garlic croutons and a creamy Caesar dressing (with or without anchovies) makes an easy main meal or favorite side salads for a crowd.

The last time I visited Mexico was for a yoga retreat in Tulum. Right on the beach, feeling the yoga burn and subsequent relaxation had every one of us hungry all of the time. Given that the original Caesar salad originated in Mexico, it’s no surprise the resort served an incredible version with nearly every meal.

Some eaters worry about Caesar salad’s calories, but when keeping portions in check, and if you avoid drowning it in dressing, the calorie count can stay within realistic bounds. I mean, if it’s served at a beachside yoga retreat, it feels alright to me.

Here on the blog, I’m not shy about my love of the Caesar. I’ve turned this classic steak house primer into a kale Caesar salad, my daughter’s favorite chicken Caesar salad, and I made sure to share my classic Caesar salad dressing you can make with or without anchovies because some of you aren’t all that fond of the little fish.

Grab your tastebuds, and let me show you how to make a killer Caesar salad.

continue to the recipe… about Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons

BLT Pasta Salad with Avocado

This creamy, easy pasta salad recipe is loaded with tomatoes, arugula, and avocado, plus crispy bacon that’s all topped with a super simple Ranch-style dressing made healthier with a combo of Greek yogurt and mayo.

You could say my collection of pasta salad recipes here on the blog are my children, and just like any mother of kids, it’s nearly impossible to choose just one as my most favorite. But, if you’re a fan of a creamy pasta salad, or an ultra easy-to-make pasta salad that’s loaded with healthier goodness (plus bacon!), this avocado and bacon pasta salad is for you.

Once the garden tomatoes come into harvest, BLT sandwiches are a staple at our house. And the only thing that makes them even better is adding avocado for them to become BLATs. Bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato sandwiches that are now a BBQ pasta salad staple.

So when my daughter requested I make a pasta salad that included her beloved bacon in the BLT mix, avocado was an obvious addition to make.

continue to the recipe… about BLT Pasta Salad with Avocado

Greek Salad with Avocado

This healthy Greek salad with added avocado and an easy-to-make Greek salad dressing is just the right recipe for simple no-cooking eats all summer long.

Sometimes the classics are just what the doctor ordered. Especially when it’s Dr. SummerHasArrived who’s making the house calls.

Now that we’re moving into the dog days of summer after the 4th of July binge, it’s time for us all to clean up our act and binge on clean eating instead of all of the crapola.

Standard-staple recipes in and out of the kitchen are what I’m craving now. You know, the simple stuff. Recipes that let summer’s best ingredients shine.

This Greek salad with avocado is exactly what the doctor ordered. It’s fresh, crunchy, tangy and above all, delicious. It has the basic flavors of a traditional Greek salad but with that extra somethin’ somethin’ to make your Mediterranean heart happy and healthy.

continue to the recipe… about Greek Salad with Avocado

How to Make the Best Creamy Coleslaw

My favorite creamy coleslaw stays crunchy, not soupy, and gets a bit of bite in this slightly sweetened, vinegar-spiked coleslaw dressing.

Potato Salad. Baked Beans. My favorite Burrata and Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad. Those recipes have always made up my barbecue buffet table daydreams. But coleslaw? It was always on the bottom rung of my side dish desires. Show me the shredded cabbage bowl and watch me skip right on by.

But my husband? He’s a coleslaw connoisseur. It’s usually the first thing he goes for. But that doesn’t mean the bites he gets are always good, and that puts our home’s king of slaw down in the dumps.

But this creamy coleslaw recipe always gets not just one, but two big, Big, BIG thumbs up from my man. And now me, too.

It isn’t goopy. Nor is it soupy. And it’s far from overpowered by the bite of raw onion. This here coleslaw, folks, this is the best I’ve ever eaten. And the man agrees.continue to the recipe… about How to Make the Best Creamy Coleslaw

Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

This 5-ingredient pasta salad recipe has all of the flavors of traditional Caesar salad with the addition of kale and sweet roasted cherry tomatoes for an easy and healthy potluck pasta salad.

Most often you’ll hear me professing my love of making and using homemade dressings. I make a lot of them. Why? Because they’re easy and healthy and I know exactly what’s in them.

But sometimes, I need a pasta salad recipe in a hurry, something I can throw together quick. That’s when I turn to my pantry and the impromptu creating begins.

Since nobody-never-ever says no to a quick and simple healthy-ish pasta salad, having this potluck salad recipe with store-bought dressing on hand is my golden unicorn.continue to the recipe… about Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

Sweet Vinegar Coleslaw (No Mayo)

This healthy coleslaw with a sweet vinegar coleslaw dressing is a no-mayo alternative to the classic coleslaw version, covering all the potluck salad bases.

Opposites do attract. It’s why anything that’s both sweet and tangy always taste so good. And when you try this healthy, vinegar coleslaw recipe made with apple cider vinegar and sweetened with just a bit of sugar, you’ll believe it with each and every forked bite.

I’m a fan of any crunchy slaw that comes together fast and balances out a meal, and this recipe is right up there with my best creamy coleslaw recipe. But sometimes I’m more in the mood for a lighter zesty bite than a creamy one.

This coleslaw’s tangy dressing lightens bbq sauced slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches and is the crunchy compliment to classic potluck salads like my mom’s recipe for the best potato salad or the classic macaroni salad.

It’s time to round out the bevy of side dish salads and add this one to your bookmarked recipe list.

continue to the recipe… about Sweet Vinegar Coleslaw (No Mayo)

30 Days of Healthier Salads That Make a Meal In April

Happy April, friends!

We’re proud to bring you our fourth installment to our 31 Days Series (you can check out the first one here, the second one here, and the third one here). This month is all about big, bountiful salads—you know, the kind that stick to your ribs and are hardy enough to make a meal of.

We’re craving healthy foods, but ones with substance and staying power, because we don’t want to be hungry two hours later and find ourselves tucking into a bowl of cereal at 10 o’clock at night.

We’ve all been there.

These salads are colorful, healthy, filling, and easy to prepare. We can’t guarantee they’ll help you fit into last summer’s shorts by the end of the month, but we promise they’ll definitely help!continue to the recipe… about 30 Days of Healthier Salads That Make a Meal In April

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad Bowls with Berries

This Vietnamese rice noodle salad is a vegetarian-forward version of the traditional bún salads drizzled with nuoc cham—the popular Vietnamese dressing and dipping sauce—with spring lettuces, crunchy fresh vegetables and sweetened with the season’s best fresh berries.

Yes, this noodle salad does taste as good as it looks. And it’s just the beginning of my job to convince you to try this baby soon.

I’ve been a fan of fresh and crunchy Vietnamese vermicelli noodle salad bowls (bún) since my college days way back when, and ever since visiting Vietnam last Christmas, lighter, healthier, simpler recipes with a flare of these worldly-inspired Asian flavors have been at the top of my must-have cravings.

Today I’m sharing this recipe for vermicelli noodle salad to be served as a main meal noodle bowls for four. Or, the salad can be served in smaller portions as a side dish to this lighter chicken satay, tossing it all together in one big bowl the same as I do in my basic, fresh and easy Vietnamese noodle salad for serving to a party or salad recipe for a potluck or bbq.

There’s no cooking involved with this salad, just some peeling and chopping, so let’s get on to getting our salad cravings cured.continue to the recipe… about Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad Bowls with Berries

Game Day Sheet Pan Nachos Two Ways

Game day snacking won’t leave you feeling guilty thanks to these two recipe ideas for sheet pan nachos that’ll make you the winner at the end of the day.

This post is in partnership with Bolthouse Farms

My dad was always the nacho maker in our family and when my mom would throw her hands up in the air and declare she had no idea what to fix for dinner that night, she’d usually suggest something super simple like nachos and cross her fingers he’d be willing to take over the kitchen reigns for the night.

But dad didn’t make nachos the way most of us know nachos. There was no pile of chips and loading on of ingredients. My dad’s nachos were simple precision and consisted of the same 4 ingredients every time. Each tortilla chip was precisely laid out in rows on the baking sheet, then precisely topped with a teaspoon or so of refried beans, and then topped with a slice of cheese. They looked like little cheese topped tortilla cookies as they baked in the oven, and once they came out, they were topped with a slice of jalapeño.

And that was it. Done.

Sure they tasted great to me as a kid and quite honestly, I bet they still would win a nostalgia award. But as I got older and visited restaurants (okay, I’ll tell it like it is—BARS!) and someone at the table would order nacho, and then they’d come out as a big pile of cheesy deliciousness you had to dig through layers of taco meat, and beans, and guacamole, and sour cream to get to, my taste for nachos went up a notch or two.

Now these nachos, they’re taking it up even more, but I’m feeling totally good about that.continue to the recipe… about Game Day Sheet Pan Nachos Two Ways

Arugula Salad With Shaved Parmesan Three Ways

The fresh bite of this arugula dinner salad with a simple lemon dressing and shaved Parmesan is made three ways for three easy salad recipe ideas to go with any dinner’s main course meal.

Choosing a main course dinner idea is pretty easy to do. But when it comes to rounding out the meal with some extra plant nutrition, it can add another layer of what-to-make-wondering to your meal planning.

That’s why I depend on a few simple recipe ideas for side salads and dressings that are easily customized to dress up or dress down, depending on what extra ingredients I have on hand.

That’s why this easy 5-ingredient arugula salad recipe with big flakes of salty parmesan is often where I get my start.
continue to the recipe… about Arugula Salad With Shaved Parmesan Three Ways

Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe

Chicken Caesar Salads are perfect for packing for lunch or enjoying as a light dinner, especially when topped with this creamy, homemade Caesar dressing.

The other day a group of us were out to lunch. The kids were all ordering what they wanted as the moms fitzed and fudged, trying to pry their angels from their culinary comfort zones with more interesting suggestions in lieu of the standard kiddo fare of chicken nuggets, hot dogs and grilled cheese.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I mean, I’m a kid at heart too.

And then there’s my daughter. “I’d like a Caesar salad with chicken, please.” I almost had to pick up one mom’s jaw from the floor who could not believe my Smudge not only would eat something so avant garde, (really?) but to order it for herself without her mama coaxing her, too?

I love to freak the moms out that way. And apparently, so does my daughter.

continue to the recipe… about Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe

Thai Zucchini Noodle and Quinoa Salad

Spiralized zucchini is the base of this crunchy raw vegetable salad that features a creamy, flavorful Thai peanut dressing for a healthy lunch or dinner.

I’ve been on a bit of a Thai kick lately, as witnessed by last week’s Shrimp in Thai Coconut Sauce.

Okay, I’ve been on a Thai kick, for, like, forever, as witnessed by this lengthy list of recipes here on le bloggity blog.

And after I ate the original version of this spiralized zucchini noodle aka zoodle recipe, I knew I had to add one more to the lineup.

Most likely, it won’t be the last. continue to the recipe… about Thai Zucchini Noodle and Quinoa Salad

Classic Three Bean Salad (That’s Really Four)

Besides knowing how to use a can opener, there’s no need for any special talents when you make this easy three bean salad, and with a homemade dressing, this pantry salad is a classic potluck favorite that can be made in 15 minutes or less.

This straight-from-the-pantry/salad-bar-staple salad is just one reason why I majored in art instead of in math, because apparently I can’t count.

While this salad is most often called a three bean salad, I just couldn’t help but add in another bean to make it four, not just because it added a different shape and a little more color—because you know, food is art—but because how could I leave even one bean out of the mix?

And with a homemade dressing that adds a sweet pickled pucker, this salad shows why once again, real good real food is best…even when it starts with a can. Or four.

continue to the recipe… about Classic Three Bean Salad (That’s Really Four)

Soba Noodles With Sriracha Meatballs

Slow cooker Sriracha meatballs top healthy buckwheat soba noodles and fresh vegetables and herbs to make a simple Asian inspired salad that’s perfect for lunch or dinner.

Long noodle, long life. I’d say that’s a pretty great way to start the year’s resolutions off right.

I shared the recipe for these Slow Cooker Sriracha Meatballs a few weeks ago as a favorite meatball idea for sharing at the party. Which party? It doesn’t really matter WHICH party, because whenever these Asian-flavored babies show up it’s bound to be a party.

While I love these meatballs as an appetizer to share with friends, it is 100% acceptable, and in this case essential, that you be selfish and save the batch for yourself to top this fresh soba noodle salad. Or even better, make the meatballs JUST for this recipe to be sure nobody snacks up your leftovers before they make it to the main dish.

Get ready friends, it’s time to get your slurp on.continue to the recipe… about Soba Noodles With Sriracha Meatballs